The Free State Department of Roads and Transport has announced it is in the process of appointing a contractor to rehabilitate the R74, viewed as the gateway to the Drakensberg Mountains.
However, while the news has been welcomed by some, not everyone is convinced the department will deliver on time.
Tourism establishments in the area saw occupancies drop during the past few years as a result of the poor state of the R74. Some, including Little Switzerland Resort and Sungubala Lodge, were close their doors as tourists started to avoid the area.
Hillary Mophete, roads department spokesperson, told Tourism Update that progress is being made and a tender to rehabilitate and reconstruct the R74 between Harrismith and Oliviershoek was officially published on October 10. Roughly three weeks later, on October 31, the tender was closed and a consultant was asked to appoint a contractor to start work on the road. A decision with regards to the right contractor should be made within the next week, said Mophete.
According to Mophete, work on the road is expected to start in the beginning of December provided that there are no delays caused by weather circumstances, such as heavy rains.
Petre Theron, Manager of ATKV Drakensville, says he is confident that tourism will flourish once again once the roads are rehabilitated. He saw a decrease in occupation of around 12% as a result of the bad state of the road.
Lindsay du Plessis, Montusi Mountain Lodge, who is less confident that the government will live up to its promises. “I will believe it when I see contractors starting to work on the road,” says. She explains there have been so many rumours and promises over the years, yet nothing has ever materialised.
According to du Plessis, even if road works start in December this year, it will be quite a while before the tourism industry will reap the rewards. She explains the road is in such a state of disrepair; it needs to be entirely re-built and this is likely to take a lot of time. She agrees with Theron however that once the road is rehabilitated, a huge improvement in tourism can be expected.
